After the Dr. Suess TV Special, “The Lorax” (1972) 

…Once upon a time… 
The onceler gave away one time chances- 
So many onces there was no time really 
but the onceler told a story of a past,   

an origin story of complete destruction- 
the last once and it was of his own making- 
His own domain, under his own command, 
and it happened, that time, just once.   

He made it possible. He was formerly a fabulist. 
He was faceless, but he was ugly, graceless 
and he made everything disappear.  
And he didn’t have a next trick, there were no volunteers. 

He told this story of the past, of time coming back- 
Like a seed carried in the wafting smog of burning trees- 
Darkness sprouted, orange air enveloped everything- 
He said, “Be careful on these goddamn roads!  

And for once, let’s all get home safely, and speak freely, 
and with our green hands, and with our taut faces, 
and not let the fires rise too high (three feet or otherwise) 
And not let the new car smell be gasoline smell  

and let’s create new fables! We can create no doom 
and soon and we can create so on  
and we can destroy unless and unless doom is soon, 
we can have so on- doomlessness, 

       and so on and soon…”  

Austin Sanchez-Moran is a teacher and Pushcart Prize nominated writer who received his MFA in Poetry from George Mason University. His poems and short fiction have been published in RHINO, Denver Quarterly, and Salamander Magazine, among many others. He also has had poems and short fiction chosen for the anthologies, Best New Poets of the Midwest (2017), Best Microfiction 2020, and Moon City Review 2024, respectively. His first poetry collection is Suburban Sutras (Finishing Line Press, 2021) and his first chapbook, Rhinocerotica (Backbone Press, 2022), was selected by Tyree Daye as winner of the 4th Annual Backbone Press Chapbook Competition.